Uconn

STORRS — Last year, Shabazz Napier never would have thought to do what he did Friday night. He would have sulked, become annoyed and lost focus.

He fouled Michigan State's Keith Appling on Friday night in Germany, resulting in a 3-point play that gave Michigan State a lead against UConn. Napier quickly called his teammates together and instead of using the generic "let's go" exultation, he relayed to the Huskies how important it was for them to keep their composure.

He was the leader many hoped he would have been last year. Now it's time for Napier and UConn's other leaders to get the newest message across: tonight's game against Vermont (1-0) at Gampel Pavilion won't exactly be easy.

"The first thing I saw on the tape was Shabazz bringing everybody together," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "That's what I want my leaders to do. I knew we would be fine when I saw that. We got our poise. I'm looking for that from everybody on this team. That was a great scene and I want that to continue."

Tonight's game has all the earmarks of a letdown. The Huskies (1-0) aren't expected to do much this year and they certainly weren't expected to give Michigan State much of a game much less beat the Spartans. They won, broke into the rankings Monday at No. 23 in the Associated Press poll and suddenly have people taking notice of them.

Not too many people, though. UConn announced Monday that plenty of tickets still remain for tonight's game.

Those who make the trip will no doubt be thrilled to see a likeable team, but might also be waiting for the letdown that comes from such a huge victory combined with the jet lag and a quick turnaround. But something seems different about this team that is banned from the postseason.

It is a closer team than last year's group, and it is one that has plenty to prove. For now, UConn isn't considered to be the UConn everybody knows. Knowing that nobody expects much from them might be all

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the Huskies need to put forth their best effort every night.

"Ain't nothing we can do, say, cry, put that the NCAA is going to care about," guard Ryan Boatright said. "It's a done deal. But we have games in front of us. I don't want to lose, period. I don't care if I'm playing for some McDonald's, I'm going in to win.

"We have to do the same things we did against Michigan State. It was a great win but a loss could wash all that away. It would prove everybody right that thought we'd lose the first game."

Vermont is the preseason pick to win the America East title. The Catamounts, who opened with a 54-53 victory at Siena on Friday night, have made a habit of going to the NCAA Tournament. They lost in the second round to North Carolina last year and surely UConn fans remember the tournament upset of Syracuse in 2005 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.

Ollie pulled a neat trick in his debut as UConn coach. The next trick – getting the Huskies to play with the same energy against a team that doesn't have the same cache as Michigan State – might be more important.

"That's a great win to start off the season, but you can't rest on successes," guard R.J. Evans said. "You have to build on them. This is actually a bigger test for us. After beating a top 15 teams we have to come out and play hard against a good team."

Ollie said energy and enthusiasm wasn't a problem for Monday's practice, UConn's first since returning from Germany late Saturday afternoon. That might not be a worry for Ollie all year. The Huskies are playing for his job, to some extent, and walk around with the proverbial chip prominently on their shoulders.

Ollie is more concerned with rebounding – the Huskies were badly outrebounded, 43-29, against Michigan State – and receiving the same kind of effort every day.

"I just want to see consistency," Ollie said. "I want them to come out with the same sense of urgency, the same ball pressure, the same intensity. If you can come in here against Vermont and have the same intensity, that's when I see improvement. It's not about wins and losses."

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